Welcome to the DEVON AIRFIELDS Website ,where you will find information on all known airfields,helipads or other flying grounds within the county of
Devon from circa 1900 to date...

Airfields(as opposed to helipads and private airstrips) will all (eventually) have separate pages with more detailed
information.Click the airfield name or link to go there.Please note that Latitude/Longtitude positions are generally given in conventional(degree,minute,seconds)format

BABBACOMBE:In December 1925 aerial, sequences for a film "The Hawk" were shot in the Torquay area ...location given as "White Beach " and "Seven Winds".The film involved sending a glider (piloted by a F P Raynham- possibly the same F Raynham as in the Paignton entry) off the cliff to land in the sea below. Several scenes involving the glider were shot here.

BANTHAM KINGSBRIDGE:N50.16.43/W3.5208 Helipad (Location approximate).

BARNSTAPLE:In April 1914 Lieut Gould of the Royal Flying Corps landed at Barnstaple and then gave a 'brilliant displays of airmanship'.

BARNSTAPLE:US Army Liaison strip to the East of Barnstaple used by L-4s of 58 Armd FA Bn, US Army.

BARNSTAPLE/BLAKEWELL:Farm strip 2 miles north of Barnstaple at approx N51.06.03/W4.03.54.

BARNSTAPLE/STICKLEPATH PRIOR:(approx N51.04.34/W4.04.12) 5th June 1912... Arrival of Henri Salmet in a Bleriot.

BARNSTAPLE and North Devon Aerodrome/Heanton:In 1933 Sir Alan Cobham brought his 'Great Air Display' to Heanton, the "Journal" offered 12 free flights to whoever guessed the correct height of a plane that flew over Barnstaple trailing smoke.
The Barnstaple and North Devon Aerodrome opened at Heanton ( N51.05.30 W4.07.57)by Bob Boyd & T.W.J. ‘Tommy’ Nash AFC, former RFC pilot and member of Cobham’s Air Circus display team on 13 June 1934 . It was described as 'The Perfect Aerodrome.'and much later, evolved into the adjacent RAF Chivenor . The Aerodrome effectively closed spring 1940 when work began on RAF Chivenor on an adjacent site .

BUCKLAND BREWER:A strip is known to have existed in the general area but exact location not known.(May be the site at Collingsdown-see below).

BUCKLAND TOUT-SAINTS HOTEL: Helipad at N50.18.04/w3.44.48.250ft amsl.

BURGH ISLAND:Helipad here at approx N50.16.80/W3.53.87.120ft amsl .

BYSTOCK/PLUMBER MANOR:Helipad at N50.38.39/W3.22.15.

CAPTON: Farm strip(unconfirmed) at approx N50.21.11/W3.45.31 .

CHAGFORD:G-HYST Enstrom F.280 Shark based in the locality.

CHELSON MEADOW/PLYMPTON:During the First World War a Royal Naval Air
Service (RNAS) base,known as RNAS Laira, was established at Chelson Meadow. It was a sub-station of the RNAS base at Mullion on the Lizard
peninsula of Cornwall. The base was home to two airships, which were moored to the
trees and painted in a camouflage khaki, brown and black....It is not clear when the area ceased to be
used for military flights but the Chelson Meadow
race-course was certainly used by civilian flyers such as Sir Alan Cobham from June 1922 - till late 1920s..N50.22.27/ W4.05.48..

DENBURY:N50.30.41/W3.39.07.Opened April 26th1935 as Torquay Airport.It was a stopover point where many aircraft refuelled to continue their journey. Sir Alan Cobham of flying circus fame attended here in 1935 and demonstrated one of the first gliders.Operated by Provincial Airways then abandoned .Today the location of the former aerodrome is occupied by HM Prison.
Full history here.

EAST BUDLEIGH:In his ‘Antiquities of Exeter’ of 1681, Richard Izacke, town
clerk and local chronicler, records in the flowery language of the day, that in 1402 "In the Parish Churchyard
of Budley (East Budleigh) in the County of Devon; A stone sheweth this Inscription, orate pro anima
Radolphi Node. This (as tradition delivers) was the Sepulture of one that presumed to fly with artificial
Wings from that Tower, and so falling, broke his Neck, which Phaetonical fact of his hath well deserved the
name of Node, be the Inscription what it is, who being a Native of this City, gives me here an
occasion to mention him".

EAST PUTFORD/ COLLINGSDOWN/ MOUNT FARM : Believed no longer in use since the owner/pilot died. approx N50.55.45/W4.18.10.

EXETER CASTLE YARD:Sustained flight became
a reality with the advent of the hot-air balloon. The first
ascent in Devon occurred in mid-June 1786 when M. St
Croix ascended from Exeter’s Castle Yard. The Exeter Flying Post recounts, "the reverie was short-lived, for having
attained a height of around 15,000 feet, a combination of the sun’s
heat and the rarefied atmosphere caused a large tear in the
envelope, bringing the craft to swiftly descend to earth."

M.Salmet at Exeter June 1st 1912.

EXETER/MORCHARD BISHOP. Col. the Master of
Semphill used a field here in May 1926 while on a circular trip round Wales and the west Country in a "Moth"

EXMOUTH:1908. An enterprising young man named Hayne, constructed a flying machine in his front room at Exmouth.
Powered by a 3 hp motorcycle engine and towed behind a car, it is alleged that the craft actually flew for a
few yards.

ILFRACOMBE: :In 1934 there was an Automobile Association registered landing ground at N51.10.05/W4.04.60, located on Cemetery Lane just south of Harrecott Cottages. The landing ground was controlled by Mr J. Chugg of West Stowford Farm, West Down, Ilfracombe . The Sir Alan Cobham National Aviation Day display visited on Aug 23 1932..

IVYBRIDGE/DAVIDS CROSS : US Army strip 1944.58 FA Bn L-4s- situated between the whatv are now the A38 and the B3123(very approx N50.23/ W03.54

JACOBSTOWE:Based in the area- G-VMCO Agusta A.109E..

KENNFORD: In the immediate prewar months of 1939 Pou-de-Ciel G-AERA was flown from a field in this area by the owners G Taylor and B Slade.They continued flying after the start of WW2 in spite of the civil flying ban...

KENNFORD/HUNTER'S LODGE: G-LUKI Robinson R.44 Based here..

KINGSBRIDGE. :A strip believed to have existed in this area. approx N50.17.13/W3.46.37.

MOUNT BATTEN:N50.21.31/W4.07.37
A seaplane base was established on September 2nd 1913 at Cattewater and several trial flights were
made from it.

A Royal Naval Air Station was commissioned here in February 1917 and
two hangars were erected close to the breakwater upon which a railway track was laid to
enable a steam crane to move about lifting seaplanes into the water. There were also hangers for kite balloons at Wilcove, near Torpoint, Both the airship base RNAS Laira at Chelston Meadow and RNAS Cattewater came under the control of a large RNAS establishment at
Tregantle, in Cornwall, commanded by Major-General J de M Hutchison.On April 1st 1918 the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the Royal Flying Corps to become the Royal Air Force and RAF Cattewater came into existence. Full history soon.

NORTHAM BURROWS/RAF WESTWARD HO!
A small circular airfield opened in June 1918 on Northam Burrows, near the Golf Club covering an area of 90 acres. The Aircraft used were DH6's and DH9's and were used as special duty flights to combat the growing u-boat menace. Aircraft kept in Bessoneaux hangers, the airmen accommodated in huts, with a large wooden shed serving as a mess and guard room. .

No 260 Squadron was formed in August 1918 at Westward Ho in Devon from Nos.502, 503 Flights as a coastal reconnaissance unit and flew anti-submarine patrols with D.H.6s until the Armistice. On 22 February 1919, it was disbanded.,

Sir Alan Cobham lands an aeroplane (1929)at the old airfield on Northam Burrows to show that Bideford could have its own airport.
In 1933 according to Flight the town of Northam (SE of Westward Ho!)had a site inspected with a view to having an aerodrome.

RAF NORTHAM-
The RAF station at Northam came into operation in 1941 and was a Chain Home station,able to detect incoming high-level aircraft at long ranges.
The RAF station ceased to operate in 1944.

OTTERTON POINT: A field at South farm,Budleigh Salterton (N50.38.248/W3.18.246) was used as an aerodrome between the wars -used for Flying circuses and pleasure flights . Possibly the area to the north of the farm buildings.It was known locally as the "Flying Field" .This info from Frank Farr of East Budleigh(via Howard Jones).Frank went for flight from the aerodrome.Also Frank stated that the location was used for decoy airfield during WW2.

OTTERTON/HOME DOWN: There was an Emergency landing ground at Home Down used by aircraft for emergency landings when using the nearby air to surface (experimental) range at Brandy Head.It may be that this is the same location as thatrefered to above.Comments welcome.

OTTERY ST. MARY. : Posible strip located on disused railway bed adjacent to River Otter on N side of the town. Where?

PAIGNTON BEACH :At Easter 1914 frenchman Henri Salmet arrived in his waterplane .The postcard below shows him setting off on a flight.(Thanks to Clare Dodge for the picture.

PAIGNTON /THE GREEN:First used as an aerodrome for visiting demo flights during 1911-1914....Paris Singer of the Singer sewing machine empire(lower left picture) built an aeroplane hangar on the site. The upper two pictures below show the Avro Biplane at Paignton at Easter 1914 . On April 11th, Freddy Raynham flew the aircraft from Paignton Green. On the Easter Monday the aircraft , fitted with floats, flew from the bay and later gave pleasure flights at 10 shillings per person.

After the Great War this hangar stored three seaplanes which took visitors on trips around the Bay, after the First World War. The cost of these fun trips was for 25 shillings. The planes were brought down the slipway near the site of the present café on Preston Green, and taxied along to Paignton Pier, where passengers climbed aboard for their short flights.

The beach lawns were used as an airfield.......This undated picture from Kevin Clarke shows G-EBIZ Avro 504K on the Green.

Starting in May 1919 from the Sands, and using Mr Singer's hangar to house the plane, Captain R. L. Truelove and Captain Rainham(sic) , late of the RAF, offered flights around the Bay in their Avro sea-planes.(lower right picture ).... The cost was £1.5s and there were just two passengers carried on each flight.Flight records that in the first week of September over 170 passengers were carried.

The hangar remained for some years (possibly until the late 20s?) and was, for a time, leased to an air mapping firm. .

Anson K6182 forcelanded on the Green 4th Jan 1940 when, while on a training flight ,the pilot needed to make an emergency landing. Deciding to take his chances on the Green,he came into land from the north, but lost control on crossing the road to the pier.
The Anson swerved into the Garfield Road corner of the Park Hotel, demolishing a wall. Later it was towed back on to the Green, the wings removed and towed away.

Designated as Strip Y670 the seafront was used in 1944 by US Army L4s(65 Armrd FA BN) and also by the 153 LS (L-4s and L-5s).

PLYMOUTH/CHELSON MEADOW: Sept 1911 M. Blondeau and Mrs Hilda Hewlett, the first British woman to receive an Aviator’s
Certificate, at Plymouth early in September 1911..

PLYMOUTH: Nov 1825 Ballon Flight Mrs Graham, self-styled as ‘Her Majesty’s Aeronaute’
made a brief flight
over the Sound in her lavishly decorated 3,000 cu.ft balloon.
This ended unceremoniously, coming down in the sea
between Stoke Head and Yealm Point after just 14 minutes in the
air,.

PLYMOUTH:Waterfront strip in 1923...a Croydon link was tried from a small strip by the waterfront to carry mail that had arrived by ships from the Atlantic.According to Flight magazine this took place on April 27th 1923 with aircraft operated by Instone Airlines from Chelson Meadow.

SHILLINGFORD/BREMRIDGE FARM:believed to be a microlight strip at this location. app N51.00.07/W3.26.53

SIDBURY/ HARCOMBE/ SALCOMBE REGIS. Fire and Smoke Farm: Believed is /was a strip here in recent years. very approx...N50.41.23/W3.12.42

SIDFORD/BlueBall Public House:Helipad used by Pipeline Survey helicopters at approx N 50.42.06/W3.13.12

SIDMOUTH/NORMAN LOCKYER OBSERVATORY. In the 1920s there was a small private airfield in the Observatory grounds , operated by James Lockyer and Sir Francis McClean(who owned Sopwith Gnu G-EAGP between Jun1923 & Nov1924) .There were two grass runways.Approx location N50.41.16/W03.13.07.(Info via Noel Collier & John Havers).

SLAPTON SANDS:USArmy/9th AF had a liason strip (Strip Y821) here during the D-Day runup (Exercise Tiger etc.)- Use by liason a/c and the P47s of 36 FG- strip was on or near beach.

SOUTH MOLTON:Planned demonstration at South Molton’s 1911 Agricultural Show
by Capt Cecil Clayton of Mansfield in his 30 hp Beirut machine, but in the event they were to be
disappointed. Though reportedly a veteran aviator with over 1,000 balloon ascents and 400 parachute
drops to his name, on this occasion Clayton was hampered by strong winds and technical problems.
Eventually taking off at 7.10 pm, his machine had only covered about 400 yards at a height of 100 feet,
when the newly fitted engine began misbehaving, causing Clayton to quickly alight in an adjacent field,
where it ran into a fence and sustained damage to one wing.

STAVERTON/ MOUNT BARTON FARM.: Was a microlight strip here . Flying known to have happened late 90's at least. No longer in use.N50.27.59/W3.41.15.

STOCKLAND/PROFITS DOWN FARM: Strip approx N50.50.05/W3.04.25.

STOKE CANNON :Aerodrome(60 Acres) op in 1928 by Maudes Motors of Exeter (used DH60X G-EBVC).The 1928 picture below (received via John Havers)shows 'VC at the aerodrome.
Probable location was on the Exeter side of Stoke Canon. Travelling towards Tiverton from Exeter, you enter the village from the long and rather narrow bridge across a marshy area and the River Exe. On the left of the A396 is a lane, immediately on the end of the bridge (now Chestnut Crescent) where, some 35 to 40 years ago, a housing estate was built between the main road and the railway line. Very near to the bridge and the housing estate were garage premises, burnt down some years ago after being derelict..

TORQUAY TORRE ABBEY MEADOWS :Claude Grahame-White in July 1910 made
two flights in his Farman III from Torre Abbey at up to 1,000 feet over the assembled armada of warships
drawn up in the bay.The occasion was the Coronation review of the Fleet by King George
V and Queen Mary at Torbay

TORQUAY /WIDECOMBE FARM, MARLDON: Site of a a private service organised
by the Torbay Herald, between Newquay and Torquay,
on July 15 1925, when a bag of about 50 letters was carried by
Flying Officer P. Phillips, D.F.C., with the sanction of the
Air Ministry. Leaving Newquay at 11 o'clock, the mails
were dropped at Widecombe Farm, Marldon, Torquay, an
hour later, for onward delivery to Torquay
Post Office. Two special cachets were applied to the mail,
one in violet reading " By Aeroplane First Trip, July 15,
1925," and the other in black, inscribed " By first Air Mail
Newquay to Torquay, July 15, 1925". Six of the letters
were autographed by F/O Phillips.

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